Third in a series of articles covering Andrew, Ben and Dexter’s journey to Operation Sting 2018.
Andrew – Late-war winter Germans
The theme: I’ve been sitting on a small force of winter Germans since Adepticon 2016 and I’d been looking for an excuse to expand. A combination of Sting’s 1944 theme and Warlord’s major support for winter units was all the encouragement I needed.
The models: All but one mini in this force are from Warlord Games. For all the years I’ve been playing Bolt Action I actually use a relatively small amount of Warlord models – nothing against Warlord! My army projects have just always leaned towards the obscure (Chindits, Italian Cavalry, Kriegsmarine, Partisans) and I’ve had to source models from a wide range of companies.
But with the release of the fantastic plastic Winter Germans and a wide range of support teams I had to look no further than Warlord proper. My army contains minis from:
- Warlord Games:German Infantry (Winter)
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- 251 Hanomag – Being used as an objective marker
- Trenchworx:Jagdpanther
The paint: I wanted to paint a ‘challenge army’. Meaning, I wanted to push myself and try techniques and paint schemes that are outside of my comfort zone. Honestly that is one of the main reasons I picked this project, so I could attempt some late-war German camouflage. I did a ton of research, consulted numerous painting guides and tried out a few different techniques. The final results? Eh. It’ll work. I wouldn’t say that I’m thrilled with the final result. From the “three-foot view” it looks good but at eye-level it leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve always struggled with camo patterns, especially on where/how to highlight. I’m glad I took the risk and tried something new.
Ben – US Anti-Tank platoon
The Theme: I have wanted to do a Battle of the Bulge army for a while. I have a Tank Platoon full of M18 Hellcats that is assembled and needs to be painted at some point, which will happen as an expansion of this current force. When we saw the Anti-Tank platoon in the Bulge campaign book, it seemed like it would be a fun and definitely unconventional army to take, so when Sting posted that it would be a 1944 event, I was all in.
The Models: A large majority of the models in my force are from Warlord Games. I had already had a single squad box of Winter Americans, a prize from one of the tournaments we had gone to in the past few years. I went with Rubicon for the larger trucks, as their plastic kits are amazing, and went with a couple of the Warlord Dodge ¾ ton trucks both to fit the historical equipment of an anti-tank company, and to add some variety. I also added a bit of variety by ordering a few riflemen, artillery crew, and an MMG team from Artizan. An additional Dodge ¾ ton truck will serve as a part of my objective marker, marked as a Medic truck and on a base alongside a collection of supplies.
- Warlord Games:US Infantry Squad (Winter)
- Artizan Designs:US Infantry in Greatcoats .30cal Team
- Rubicon Models:US CCKW 353 2.5 Ton 6×6 Truck x2
The Paint: While researching outfits and color patterns I came across a guide that I really liked the look of, and took inspiration from that (link to guide). A majority of the models are in greatcoats, giving them an overly brown tone. Models that are not wearing the greatcoats I painted in the greens found in the guide, which matches the earlier war color patterns more than Bulge, but I liked the look of it. The helmets the minis wear are a mix of covers and bare helmets, giving me the opportunity to have some of the white cloth covers alongside some of the more classic olive color of the US helmet paint. Vehicles and guns are still work-in-process at the moment, but I intend to whitewash some of them and leave others in the classic army greens using a mixture of airbrushing and brushwork.
Dexter – Sturmtiger kampfgruppe
Under construction
We are on our way to Sting, and armies are done! Check back in a week for the final installment, Road to Operation Sting – Part 4: The Display.
Chicago Dice 